Depression and Harry in OotP -- PTSD

[delwynmarch]

No: HPFGUIDX 110920


Shaun wrote :
"I have no doubt that the Dementors describe the experience JKR has 
of depression. But I would honestly be very surprised if a writer, 
who writes emotional content as well as J.K. Rowling does - 
specifically the emotional content of teenagers, and who is so good 
at inspiring emotions in her readers, and who therefore must have a 
pretty good understanding of emotions and feelings, would be so 
narrow minded as to believe she completely understands depressive 
illness and all of its emotional implications and experiences for 
everyone who has suffered it, is suffering it, or will ever suffer it."

Del replies :
But then how could she *intentionally* write about something she
doesn't know, understands or is even aware exists ?

Shaun wrote :
" Now, maybe she doesn't regard Harry as depressed. I honestly don't 
know. If she doesn't, that's fine. She knows him far better than I  do."

Del replies :
Sometimes, it's those people who know someone best who are unable to
detect some things about them. JKR knows Harry best indeed, but maybe
she is writing him as depressed *without knowing so*. Maybe she's
writing him in the way that seems most logical to her, without
realising that she is in fact describing a form of depression. Maybe
if you were to talk with her and tell her how close Harry's emotional
state reminds you of your depression, she'd be surprised and would
realise that her idea of Harry indeed corresponds to what some
depressed people are like but she didn't know it.

In other terms, maybe you and Naama are both right. She might very
well not have intended to write Harry as depressed, but it still might
be exactly the way she ended up writing him. Unknowingly.

As an example, let's imagine that someone someday says that the
character of Lockhart is a textbook illustration of some X syndrome.
Then someone will point out that it can't be JKR's intention because
she wrote that character after someone in particular. But someone else
then does some magical research and finds out that lo and behold !
Lockhart's original character was diagnosed with the X syndrome after
JKR wrote CoS. In effect, she would have indeed written a character
with X syndrome, but she would not have intended to do so.

Am I making any sense ?

Del